Useful background information can be found in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,030,873 and 4,213,749. Other useful background information is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,658.
What can be said about all of the prior art known to applicant is that while vibrating-type screeds useful for working off forms have been highly developed, there has remained a need for a small, highly portable and highly maneuverable screed adapted for the so-called "wet" or "mud" type screeding in which forms are not available or used. Thus, prior art screeds have been difficult to use where, for example, a large number of pipes or other obstructions protrude from the floor or where forms are not available or adapted to the job being screeded.
Another disadvantage of prior art screeds resides in the fact that no means have been made available for allowing the operators to partially support the screed during operation. Typically, the prior art screed has been supported entirely on forms and screed operators have not been provided with a highly maneuverable, lightweight screed with means enabling the screed to actually be partially supported by the operators during wet screeding without forms.
With the foregoing in mind, the object of the invention is that of providing an improved, lightweight, highly portable screed which can be supported by the operators during wet screeding without forms and is particularly adaptable for use on jobs where a large number of pipes or similar obstructions are encountered during the screeding. Other objects will become apparent as the description proceeds.